Author, Leonard Adkins writes about his hiking and travel quests through the Appalachians, the Caribbean, the Pacific Northwest and more. His many hiking and travel guides include: The Appalachian Trail: A Visitor's Companion, The Best of the Appalachian Trail Day Hikes, The Best of the Appalachian Trail Overnight Hikes, Wildflowers of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains, Adventure Guide to Virginia, Walking the Blue Ridge: A guide to the trails of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

He's been an avid hiker much of his adult life. He met the love of his life, Laurie, now his wife, while hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Obviously, hiking is more than a pastime for author, Leonard Adkins.

"For us, hiking is a lifestyle," said Laurie Adkins.  Leonard Adkins signed his hiking and travel guides for fans at the Greene County Visitor's Center, Wednesday, March 21, while sharing details of his journey from hiker to writer.

"I never thought I'd write a book," Adkins said.   "It all started in the 1980s. I began to feel that I really should share what I've come to know," he said. So he picked up pen and paper and started writing longhand.

"I didn't have a computer then. I didn't even have a typewriter." Pen and paper proved more than good enough.

He wrote about his adventures on a sailing trip to the Caribbean with his wife and father-in-law.

"We'd sail some, then weigh anchor on islands where Laurie and I could hike. We hiked beaches, deserts, volcanoes and rain forests during the trip. That's the way to see the Caribbean," he said.

Selling his first book, The Caribbean: A Walking and Hiking Guide, was almost as adventurous.

"I got so many rejections. Finally, the 17th publisher I contacted said, 'Let's go,'" said Adkins.

He's now on his 15th book, West Virginia: An Explorer's Guide.

"When I'm conducting research for a hiking guide, I'll be away from home three to four months at a time and when I'm researching a travel guide, I'll be away five to six months. It takes about two years of research to write one book," he said.

"That's because I hike every trail I write about. I stay at all the inns and B&Bs. I eat in all the restaurants. I canoe each and every waterway. I only include places and activities I've experienced."

Both Adkins and his wife love the Appalachian Trail, particularly in the Shenandoah National Park.

"The Appalachian trail is such a great resource and it's a social trail," said Laurie Adkins. "Hiking the entire trail it is a very social experience."

That's because 2,000 to 3,000 people hike the Appalachian each year, and 15 to 20 percent of them hike the entire trail from Maine to Georgia, they added.

Most through-hikers start along the Appalachian in Georgia sometime in March, said Adkins. They usually finish in Maine by September at the latest, he added.

"But, in May, the party is right here in the Shenandoah," said Adkins. "I love it. It's so easy to hike. It has cabins, campgrounds, restaurants, beautiful side trails, waterfalls, rivers, features that give you a chance to experience history.

"The Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park sets the standard for hiking trails in the South," Laurie Adkins said.

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